It is known that many track events, and in particular sprint-type events, are won or lost "in the blocks", i.e., by virtue of the speed and technique of a runner's start. Thus, substantial attention in training is directed to perfecting the runner's starting technique and improving response time out of the runners' starting blocks.
Much of a coach's time and training effort in this area has been, to date, less than scientific, a lack of data regarding a particular runner's weaknesses at the start being at least partly to blame. While videotaping and the like have improved this situation, further aid in the way of developing data relevant to training for race starts could still be utilized.
Runners' starting blocks have been in wide use for some time now, and some improvements thereto have heretofore been suggested and/or utilized for improvement and/or control of race starts. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,298, for example, a circuit for detecting false starts is shown in conjunction with a runners' starting plate. Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,843, wherein a starting block assembly is provided which includes leads for a sound generator to assure that each runner in a race is not disadvantaged by the distance of the runner from the starter's pistol and thus receives the start signal at about the same time as the other runners in the race.
None of these devices, however, are adapted for use in training the athlete or for developing better information regarding the athlete's performance in response to the start signal at the beginning of a race.